This is a pivotal executive leadership role responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of a broad and varied set of high profile policy challenges with significant fiscal implications. The role covers a large span of policy delivered through 9 Director led multi-disciplinary teams.

You will be responsible for working with the Secretary of State and the ministerial team to translate their vision into a practical policy agenda. You will work with the Permanent Secretary, senior colleagues in DWP and across Whitehall to develop cost effective and deliverable strategies and policies to ensure that the welfare support system:

• promotes work

• enables disabled people to fulfil their potential

• provides a decent income for people of pension age

• promotes saving for retirement

• understands and tackles the root causes of poverty rather than its symptoms

• contributes to the Government’s EU Exit negotiations on access to benefits

• addresses the labour market impact of EU Exit

With responsibility for ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of the Department's strategic objectives, the successful candidate will be pro-active in identifying emerging issues and develop strategies to mitigate these so that delivery of evidence based and cost effective outcomes can remain on track. The post holder will have approximately 9 direct reports and overall will lead a diverse group with over 900 staff including over 330 analysts. The DG will be responsible for AME expenditure which is currently forecast to be £176 billion in 17/18 and rising to £190 billion by 21/22.

The post holder will report directly to Robert Devereux, the Permanent Secretary in DWP, and will be a key member of the Executive Team with shared responsibility for the leadership and management of the whole Department. The DG must be an effective advocate for communications at the most senior departmental and interdepartmental levels, and will be expected to uphold and develop strong relationships with the Secretary of State, Ministers and special advisers, the DWP Executive Team, senior colleagues across DWP and key external stakeholders

The successful candidate will have significant experience at Director level in a large-multi-divisional, multi-site private or public sector business, alongside strong analytical skills, and a track record of having successfully shaped and implemented strategic policies.